


Witches, Werewolves, and Pirates, Oh My!

by baechu_12



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, Fantasy, I’m a coward ok, Magic, No Actual Sexy Times, Pirates, Rated teen for language, Some Humor, Updates about once a week, Werewolves, Witches, Wizards, mentions of sexual themes, some drama, some mentions of mild violence, sort of reverse harem
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:34:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22874077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baechu_12/pseuds/baechu_12
Summary: You’re just a simple witch living in a small village alongside your childhood friend, Jongin, and your black cat familiar, Kyoong. However, your life becomes anything but simple when news comes around that there’s a dangerous plague starting to raid the lands.Adventure ensues and along the way, you meet new friends.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Reader, Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Reader, EXO Ensemble/Reader, Kim Jongdae | Chen/Reader, Kim Jongin | Kai/Reader, Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Reader, Kim Minseok | Xiumin/Reader, Oh Sehun/Reader, Park Chanyeol/Reader, Zhang Yi Xing | Lay/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	1. Visions Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: text does contain swearing and mild descriptions of violence. 
> 
> Hello friends! It’s been a while since I’ve officially published any sort of fan fiction. It’s also my first time using AO3 to post. I’ve tried my best to eliminate any sort of grammatical/logical errors; however, I’m still human and there still may be writing mistakes. All in all, this was made in good fun! Please enjoy the first chapter, and hopefully I will have the second one up soon for you guys. 
> 
> In addition: do not expect to have all characters/members show up within the first chapter. This is an adventure story that’s designed so that you meet each member along the way.

It was that time of the week again. Just before the sun reached its peak in the sky, you headed out of your home with your familiar hot on your trail. You had run out of supplies for your latest experiment and headed off to the local shop keep to try and find some more. 

“Y/N! I haven’t seen you come of your den in at least 3 days!” You halt your pace and turn to greet the speaker.  
“I’m sorry Jongin, learning this new spell has taken up my complete focus.” You give your friend an apologetic smile as you respond to him. “I’m only out to get supplies to practice more anyways.” you add.  
“The way you always talk about magic makes it seem so much less appealing,” your friend, Jongin, says. You only rolled your eyes at him. “Isn’t that right Kyoongie?” Jongin crouches down to the ground and offers to pet your familiar Kyoong. The cat nonchalantly lets Jongin pet his head, keeping a sort of proud image when in reality Kyoong could not resist pets from anyone. Then he simply meows in response. 

As the three of you nearer the town center, you instantly notice a group of men in bright shining armor. The crest on their chest and helm are instantly notable even from a distance. Royal guards. 

Suddenly feeling sick to your stomach, you turn away and begin to head in the opposite direction when they call out to you:   
“Hey witch!”   
“Sounds like they’re here to cause trouble...” you heard Jongin mumble as you turn back around. You give him a look, one that pleads for him to help you out even though the both of you know he couldn’t do anything. Jongin just shrugs and the both of you make your way over to the town center. 

The first thing that tips you off to something strange occurring is the old man hunched between the group of guards. He isn’t roused at all by your incoming presence as the guards are. He remains staring at the ground. His aura seemed very familiar to you, as you could feel the amount of powerful magic pulsate from his being. You stand in front of them, giving a polite bow.   
“Ah, so the townspeople were right, you were bound to show your face some time today.” One guard snickers.   
“We have business with you witch.” Another says. You study them, and note to yourself that there is a total of four.

The second thing to tip you off was the fact that these weren’t normal royal guards. They bore the regional crest, but sported different colorings in their capes and armor accents. A rich purple and a golden yellow were clashing against the typical royal blue and silver that typically adorned a royal guard’s uniform. You could’ve sworn you’ve seen this color patterning somewhere before...

“What business?” You ask, trying to maintain a level of politeness but letting them know that they aren’t exactly welcome here.   
“We can not speak of it here in public.” Replies the guard that seemed to be taking control of this operation. “Let’s move this discussion to the town hall shall we?” He offers a hand to you. You look at his hand dumbly for a second before Jongin nudges you and you take his hand. 

It wasn’t very typical for royal guards to be this polite with magical beings in your region, then again, this didn’t seem to be a very typical situation. The group of you start to move towards the town hall but one guard stops Jongin from following.   
“Sorry sir, this discussion is private.” Jongin shoots you a pout but you just pout back. You can’t do much against the orders of the royal guard and the both of you know that. A feeling of dread comes over you as they lead you over the short distance to the town hall. The group of you enter the building and promptly they find a private room.   
The room is simple. Plain wooden walls and a stone floor. A simple table sits at the center with four chairs pushed into it. The lighting is simple and a window sits at the very end of the room. You could tell that this room is typically used for small meetings. Some simple furniture lines the walls adorned with small vases with flowers. 

The lead guard then helps you sit at the table and then assists the elderly man to sit as well across from you. Kyoong, who had followed you all the way here, jumps into your lap and you look over the table at the old man. 

The elderly man finally brings his eyes up to yours and that’s when you finally notice. This man is blind. Suddenly, all of the pieces start to connect. Blind old man with a powerful magic aura? An Oracle. Distinct purple and gold colorings? Guards of the Magic Council. How could you have so easily forgotten? This situation was so eerily similar to that of when you were younger and first discovered that you possessed magic. 

“You seem tense, YN.” The Oracle speaks. No wonder this man seemed so familiar, he was brought to your village in order to determine that you were indeed a witch a those years ago. Some of the memories start to swirl in your mind and are immediately broken when the oracle speaks again. “I’m not here to cause you harm.” The nerves start to spike in your chest and you felt a metaphorical pile of bricks laying on top of you. Kyoong seemed to sense your anxiousness and he rubs his head on your arm to try and soothe your nerves.   
“This is a dire situation, YN, we need your full cooperation and attention.” The lead guard says. It seems though that no matter what either of the men say, your head keeps wandering to the worst. 

What if they’re here to try and take you away? Your mother fought tooth and nail to keep you in the village, and you had no intention of leaving either. 

The anxiety kept building up inside of you.  
“Of course,” you could hear your own voice falter. The lead guard let out a quiet sigh.   
“Doyoung, please fetch the young woman a glass of water.” He says, nodding to one of his comrades. The other guard nodded, gave a quick bow and quietly left the room. The lead guard finally removed his helm and took a chair next to you. “I know you’re nervous.” He begins, “We’re not here to hurt you though, I promise.” He says earnestly. “We’ll let you calm your nerves for a moment as this matter needs your full and complete attention.” He gives you a small smile, he too seemed stressed and yet he was trying to comfort you. 

You turn your attention to him and you look over his features. Were royal guards supposed to be this devilishly handsome? His brows were furrowed and his lips were turned down in a serious frown. His focus was entirely on you and nothing else.   
“My name is Taeyong.” He tells you. “I’m just here to make sure everything goes smoothly.” He gives you another smile and you can’t help but smile a bit back. 

Kyoong interrupts your gaze with the wiggle of his tail and you felt inclined to look down at him instead. The black cat was staring at you, seeming to understand your inner turmoil. He was enticing you to pet him and you complied. You moved your hand from the table and down to pet his head, a loud purr almost instantly sounds from his throat and you smile again. A sort of calmness spread across your body, a sort of magic that only came from a special bond. Your attention remains entirely on Kyoong as he nuzzled his head against your hand. 

You heard the door open and your eyes wandered to the visitor. It was just the guard named Doyoung who had returned with the glass of water as ordered. He set it on the table in front of you and bowed to his superior.   
“Leave the three of us.” Taeyong commands. The remaining guards all nod their head in obedience and exit the room. You took a whiff of the water before deeming it safe and slowly taking a sip. “Better?” Taeyong asks, leaning closer. You nod your head a bit, giving him another smile. Now, you had to prepare yourself mentally for whatever news the oracle and guard might bring to you. 

Taeyong leaned back in his chair and glanced over at the Oracle.   
“The floor is yours, Oracle.” The elderly man gave a nod to the guard and turned his focus to you entirely. The old man then reaches out his wrinkly hand and laid it on the table.  
“Hold out your hand, child.” He says in a soothing tone. You listen, reaching out your own hand so that he could hold it in his. 

As soon as you made contact with him, images flashed through your mind. People coughing, people struggling to breathe and move. A black ooze coming from bodies that lay cold and still. The images of people suffering flash faster in your mind, and it becomes dizzying. You feel your focus dwindling a bit and you blink your eyes to make them go away. It doesn’t stop, the pain, the suffering, the famine, the sickness, it keeps coming. There’s a black sticky mess in all of these images, something that you’ve never seen before. 

Then, the images stop. First, you see Kyoong on the table, it seemed that he had separated your hand from the Oracle and was lying on it protectively.   
“It seems your familiar has sensed your distress. Perhaps you understand how dire the situation is.” The Oracle says. You blink away the black spots that start to cloud your eyes and you nod.   
“What... what is happening?” You ask in a weaker voice than you intended.   
“There’s a plague among us, young witch. One that can not be stopped by ordinary magic.” The Oracle begins. “It began in the northern region and has been spreading as far as the southern region. Only recently has it started here, in Aego.”   
“What does this have to do with me?” You knit your brows together. Why would they come to you about something as serious as this. What did they expect you to do to fix it? The oracle reaches out to touch your hand again but Kyoong hissed.   
“She needs to see, familiar.” The oracle said to Kyoong as if he would understand him. Kyoong meowed in response. The oracle turned his attention back to you and spoke again: “All of the prominent magic users in each region have tried to solve this issue. They’ve used just about every healing spell and potion up their sleeves only to no avail. About a week ago, I had a vision.” The oracle pauses and looks at Kyoong. Your familiar finally relents and moves away from your hand, keeping a sharp eye on the oracle. 

Once again, the old man reaches out to hold your hand. You pull away.   
“You’re not going to show me that again are you?” The distrust oozes from your voice. Your mind was still reeling from all the information, let alone the barrage of images that you were attacked with earlier.   
“No, little witch, I will only show you what is absolutely necessary.” You hold out your hand to his again, a bit nervous and hesitant, but you know it must be done. 

Images flash in your head again. This time they are not so violent and intrusive. First there’s a visual of you, studying magic alone in your home, then it flashes to the very meeting that’s taking place. Finally, a series of five items and a book flash through your mind and then it stops.   
“You see, my vision, it’s clearly leading us to you.” The oracle pulls his hand away and eyes you carefully. “It may seem unlikely, but this is the only option we have right now. The only option that the world has right now. It seems that you must perform some sort of ritual with these items and obtain the spell book.” The weight of the situation comes crashing down on you. 

There’s a plague that has been spreading. An unstoppable one at that. This oracle is telling you that you are possibly the only one in the entire world that can fix it? You started to shake your head.   
“This can’t be right.” You spoke. “I can barely perform any serious healing magic, let alone cure a plague.” The seeds of doubt started to root themselves in your mind.   
“The visions of an oracle never lie.” The guard finally speaks. “We’ve discussed this with the magic council in Aego already. Right now we’re looking for any source of hope, and this might be the one chance we have, YN.” Taeyong reaches out to touch your hand.   
“What am I supposed to do? How do I even start? Where do I go? How do I know where any of these things are?” The questions start pouring out, the seeds that were planted in your mind started to grow.   
“The only information we have right now is from the vision.” Said the oracle.

That’s when the plants of doubt bloomed in your mind.   
“This is ridiculous!” You snapped and stood up abruptly, and made your way to the door. You opened it with a vigorous force that startled the guards waiting outside and you stomped out. You heard the lead guard and oracle call out from behind you as you ran out of the town hall. All you wanted was the comfort of your own home right now. You wanted to practice simple magic and enjoy a peaceful life. 

Before you even realized it, you were back home. Your vision blurred and you found your way to your bedroom and to your bed. You sought the comfort of your blankets as you wrapped yourself up and shut your eyes, trying to forget the world around you. You feel Kyoong prod your side and you hear yelling in the distance. Your mind dulls as you force yourself to block out any sensations from the real world, desperately wanting to fall asleep and have this all be an elaborate dream. 

As if the universe couldn’t play an even more cruel joke on you, there was a knocking at your bedroom door that you couldn’t ignore. You sat up and rubbed your eyes, finally noticing that you had been crying the whole time. The door opened and there stood Jongin, panic was evident across his features.   
“YN, the shopkeeper has fallen ill!”


	2. Visions Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, chapter two! This one was a bit more difficult to write and I hope it’s a good follow up. Chapter three may take a bit longer, we’ll see. Thanks for the support and I hope you enjoy!!

The door opened and there stood Jongin, panic was evident across his features.   
“YN, the shopkeeper has fallen ill!” The confusion and fear are evident in his voice. “The old man and the royal guards are all at the shop.”   
Jongin approaches you and sits on your bed. The concern doesn’t seem to waiver from his features as he speaks to you softly: “What’s happening YN?” How innocent he was, unaware of what was really happening. You couldn’t stop yourself from practically launching into his arms and wrapping your own around him. A little taken back, he hesitantly wraps his arms around you and pats your back. “Can you tell me?” He asks in a soft voice as you bury yourself further in his chest to hide away from the world. Sobs wrack your chest and you could barely make out a sentence. 

“I don’t want to,” is all you managed to say in a shaky voice. Jongin merely pats your back again and allows you to cry into his arms. He didn’t say anything, or at least, you didn’t hear him say anything. The two of you sat like that for what felt like an eternity, but really it was only a short amount of time before he pulled away.   
“Let’s visit the shopkeeper and see what’s happening.” He finally spoke. “Then we can figure out the rest as we go.” He gives you a small reassuring smile and rubs shoulders a bit. You just nod numbly in response. He wipes your tears away from your face and reaches over to give Kyoong a little pet on the head. Then he stands up and offers his hand to you. You take his hand and stand up as well, and then the both of you head back to the town center. 

Outside of the small general shop are two of the four guards from earlier. They give you a dirty look but let the both of you in regardless. When you enter the first thing you notice is the smell. Then, your attention is turned towards the shop keeper who’s on the ground, leaning against the counter with the oracle and the lead guard, Taeyong, next to him. Doyoung, the guard you recognize from earlier, let’s you in closer but keeps Jongin from moving with you. 

You recognize the black ooze coming from the shop keeper’s lips, and soon you’re kneeling right next to the lead guard.   
“This is new,” you hear the oracle mumbling to himself. The two of them turn their attention to you. “So you’ve decided to show your face now?” Says the oracle a bit louder.   
“I couldn’t ignore the fact that the shopkeeper suddenly fell ill.” You retort, a big angry that the oracle would make a jab at you.   
“This hasn’t happened before, YN, usually they display other telltale signs of the illness before they start spewing the black ooze.” Taeyong says. “Locals report that he hasn’t shown any signs before suddenly coughing up the ooze everywhere.” He continues on. “In addition, there haven’t been any reports of the illness in this part of the region.” You could sense the stress and panic coming from the guard in large crashing waves. Whatever plague was wreaking havoc on the world, was starting to get stronger, and more lethal it seemed. 

It was at this moment you finally understood how dire this situation was. If the images from earlier weren’t enough to show you how dangerous this really was, experiencing it first hand was the nail in the coffin.   
“YN what’s happening?” You could hear a call of distress from Jongin behind you. Everything in the moment started piling up, the oracle trying to use his magic to keep the shopkeeper alive, the lead guard’s visible confusion and panic, Jongin calling at you from behind him and the pounding headache that was starting to rock your head. 

Suddenly your mind went completely blank. Your vision went black and you collapsed onto the ground. A series of images started flashing through your head. First it was the familiar objects that you had seen from the oracle not too long ago. You saw visuals of the forest, then ocean, and finally the distinct crest of a flag from another land. You recognize it but can’t quite place where it’s from. 

Then, you’re awake. The first thing your eyes recognize is Jongin leaning over you, worry plastered all over his face. You feel a pressure on your chest, but it’s only Kyoong pressing on your stomach, trying to make you wake up. You take note that the shop keeper is no longer in the room and you assume that perhaps they removed him. Then, you feel the hand of the oracle press on your forehead.  
“She’s had a vision.” You hear him say. You sit up slowly, your mind still cloudy from the adrenaline and the vision.   
“So she hasn’t fallen ill?” You hear the lead guard. You hold your head and your pounding headache only worsens.   
“Water, get her water.” The oracle orders. You hear shuffling as you assume it was Doyoung who left to fetch water. Jongin wraps his arms around you protectively and refuses to let anyone else touch you. 

“Tell me what’s happening now.” You’ve never heard your happy-go-lucky childhood friend sound so serious. You couldn’t entirely blame him either, if you were in his shoes you’d want to protect your friend also.   
“Listen here young man, this is a very serious matter and it’s probably best that you are left out of it.” The oracle warned.   
“I deserve to know what’s happening to my best friend if it’s affecting her this much. You better not be trying to take her away again.” Jongin held you tighter.   
“We might have to.” The lead guard said. “This issue isn’t getting very serious, very fast.”   
“There’s a plague, Jongin.” You finally spoke. There’s a plague that’s spreading across all the regions. One that can’t be cured by traditional means. They’re here because I’m the only one who can fix it.”   
“That doesn’t mean they can take you away!” Jongin yells out.   
“She needs protection and guidance while we figure out exactly what these visions mean and what we have to do.” Taeyong argues. 

The oracle then reached out to touch your hand, and you felt as though your mind was suddenly being squeezed and drained of any thoughts and feelings.   
“This vision,” began the oracle, “it’s telling her to travel to the southern region.” That was the flag in your vision. The crest of the southern kingdom.   
“So then we travel to the southern kingdom-“ Taeyong started to speak before being cut off by the oracle.   
“No.”   
“What do you mean no?” The guard spout, baffled by the interruption.   
“The royal guard can not accompany her, as it will be dangerous to be associated with the staff of a rival kingdom.” The oracle informs.   
“Then you suggest she travels alone?”   
“She won’t travel alone, I’ll travel with her.” Jongin spoke up.   
“You think you have the capabilities to protect both yourself and her?” You could tell Taeyong was getting more furious by the second.   
“I think that would be best.” The oracle says humbly. 

You heard Doyoung finally return with some water for you. Luckily just in time before Taeyong blew his top off. He hands it over and you graciously chug it down. Jongin finally loosens his hold on you but still keeps his hands at your side.   
“The young witch should remain safe on her journey if she avoids any direct conflict. “ the oracle speaks again.   
“How is she supposed to get to the southern region without any assistance ?” Taeyong argues. “We could provide a safe passage for her if we accompany her on the journey.” He adds.   
“I’m sure that I could find a way without your help.” You say. “This is my mission after all, isn’t it?” You were starting to grow tired from the bickering. Taeyong let out a long sigh.   
“We’re just concerned for your safety, YN.” He gave you a bit of a pleading look as if he was wanting you to agree with him. 

“I’ve decided,” you stand up, “if I’m going to fulfill this task, I will do it on my own terms.” The oracle simply nods in response, a small smile of approval spreads across his features as the exact opposite crosses Taeyong’s face. When Taeyong moves to dispute, the oracle stops him:   
“This is her destiny, young man. It is for her to decide what she wants. We are simply the messengers.” Taeyong gives a look of resignation to the oracle, and then to you.   
“Very well.” He straightens himself up. “We will help supply what we can and you can head on your way.” He gives you a bow out of politeness. 

“And you may want to leave as soon as possible.” Adds Doyoung suddenly. “The shopkeepers condition is only worsening, and who’s to say others might not fall ill as well.” Filled with a sudden sense of dignity, you stand straight.   
“When do you think is the soonest you can prepare goods for me?” You ask.   
“We can gather things tonight and you should be ready to leave early in the morning.” Replies Taeyong. “It’s ok if you need more time though-“   
“Then we will leave in the morning.” You interrupt him. Taeyong closes his mouth and nods curtly. Jongin then pulls you off to the side, he leans in close and whispers into your ear.   
“Are you sure about this?” His eyes search yours for any sense of doubt. A slight pout graced his lips and his brows furrowed. Riding off the adrenaline, you nod. 

Right now you had no time for reservations. It was as if something in you clicked when you saw the shopkeeper fall so ill so suddenly. You had grown up around these people. This village was your livelihood. Everything you’ve done and will ever do is to help the people you love here. Your motives became selfish as you realized that the people you love will be at risk if you don’t offer to help.   
“Let’s pack our things Jongin,” you give him a reassuring smile. “We have a long journey ahead of us.” You pat his shoulder and head out of the shop.

That night you couldn’t sleep. Doubt kept creeping into your mind, a stark contrast to the sense of duty you had felt earlier. You tossed and turned in your bed, trying to rid yourself of the depressing thoughts. 

What would happen on this journey? Are you really prepared to go out like this? So suddenly? What if you do as they told you and you go on this journey only for it all to be in vain? If you left, what if the plague spread through your village and you came back to nothing? 

A paw touched your cheek, breaking you from your barrage of thoughts. Kyoong had moved from his sleeping position and moved his face closer to yours. His bright yellow eyes shone in the night despite the complete lack of light. He rubbed his cheek up against your own as a sign of comfort. You instantly felt a sense of relief flush over you as you reached out to pet his head. As always, he immediately burst out into a loud purr.   
“What do you think?” You ask quietly. “Is this a good idea?” He doesn’t answer as expected and instead presses his cheek into your hand affectionately. You then scratch under his chin and his purrs sound out louder than before. “You’ll be there to protect me right?” You prompt him again, knowing he won’t and can’t answer. Talking to him this way still comforted you. His eyes meet yours again, and he blinks slowly.

In that moment, you felt as though he promised to protect you no matter what. 

Perhaps that was just your subconscious seeking comfort.


	3. The Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Filler chapters are hard. Sorry it took so long to update, I hope you guys enjoy!

You were peacefully sleeping when you felt a heavy weight on your stomach. Rudely awoken, you open your eyes and try to make out what had interrupted your rest. 

Laying on your stomach was your sleepy childhood friend. You sat up slowly which moved Jongin to roll over onto your bed instead, crushing a sleeping Kyoong. Kyoong gave a small hiss and wriggled his way out from under Jongin. He then settled himself on the opposite side and closed his eyes to go back to sleep.  
“Good morning to you too, Nini.” You say groggily. He turns over and looks up at you.   
“Those pesky guards woke me up.” He gave you a pout and sat up as well. “They wanted me to be the one to come wake you up. They said they have everything prepared for the trip.”   
“Is the sun even out yet?” You ask him with a small whine.   
“Barely.” You move from the bed and stumble to open the wooden shutters covering the window. You looked out of the window and to the forest that sat across a small clearing. As Jongin had said, the sun was barely peeking out from over the tops of the trees. The sky was a swirl of purples, pinks, and yellows. It would be beautiful had it not meant that you had to start on a long journey. 

You hear rustling behind you as Jongin stood up from the bed.   
“They’re waiting outside.” He says simply.   
“Of course they are.” You look back at him and start to search for the belongings you had packed yesterday. You fumble around a bit in the dim lighting and nearly trip over yourself in the process. The noise wakes up Kyoong again and he jumps from the bed lazily. He pulls out the strap from your backpack from under your bed.   
“Thanks Kyoong.” You smile a bit and give him a slight pat on the head. You lift your bag and look at Jongin.   
“Are you going to change?”

After you had finished changing, you met Jongin outside of your bedroom. Kyoong followed behind you as the two of you head outside to finally meet up with the guards and the oracle. 

Taeyong wasn’t wearing his helmet this morning, and neither were the other guards. It seemed as though the rest of them weren’t as pleased to have been woken up as early but Taeyong gave you a gentle smile regardless of how tired he looked. Doyoung held two knapsacks which appeared to be packed full. Taeyong gave you a bow.   
“Did you sleep well?” He asks you as you and Jongin approach.  
“Could’ve been better.” You give him a bit of a sleepy smile as Doyoung hands you one of the bags. 

“Where’s the creepy old dude?” Jongin says from beside you. Taeyong, completely caught off guard from his question, opens his eyes wide and he opens his mouth in shock.  
“The oracle is still resting.” Doyoung answers with a slight chuckle lacing his voice. Taeyong regains his posture and puts a hand on your shoulder.   
“Ideally, I would’ve liked to assist you on your journey. If you ever change your mind and need assistance, we’ll be staying here in the town for a few days. You’re welcome to make your way back here.” His soft gaze met yours.   
“We’ll be fine! No need to worry. I packed my trusty dagger just in case of any danger.” Jongin whipped out said trusty dagger and showed it off a bit. Taeyong just gave him a bit of a pitiful look and turned his attention back to you. 

“I’ll be giving you some currency as well. It’s not a lot considering this whole ordeal came on such a short notice.” Taeyong hands you a small sack which jingled when placed in your hand. It was of a decent weight, meaning the coins could last you a bit. You now your head graciously.   
“It’s more than I could ever ask for.” You were truly gracious for the kindness from Taeyong. He had been nothing but caring towards you, and although you weren’t sure why, it still made your heart warm. 

For the most part, growing up you were always wary of royal guards or rather anyone who was associated with ruler of your region. At first it was because you were afraid of them. You were born as a magic wielder and in your region, that was looked down upon. You were scared mostly because you had never wanted to be found out. After you were discovered, they wanted to take you away from home. Your mother had advocated for your stay as she insisted she would watch over you along with many other villagers and that you would simply stay in the village as a medic of sorts. You were allowed to study simple magic and any potions you tried to craft were strictly monitored by the guards that came around your town often to check up on you. 

They were never kind to you. You were ridiculed by them, your magic supplies would sometimes come ruined or battered around. Sometimes they’d even spit or throw rotten fruit in your direction. Needless to say, your run-ins with any sorts of guards were not that great.

It seemed that the Guards of the Magic Council were different however. You had only read about them in some books and never actually met any of them. They protected and carried out messages and duties of the Magic Council in your region. Their mannerisms were never described in detail as they didn’t make much contact with lower classes and mainly stayed within the castle city walls. You imagined them to be much more strict considering the status of the Magic Council. 

The Magic Council was a group of magic users elected by the ruler of your region. They dictated the rules and practices of magic beings in the region. Well, that was how it was supposed to be, at least in other regions. In your region, Aego, the Magic Council was made up of non-magic users. Those who sought to oppress the magical beings. 

Ultimately, what you knew before about guards, made you speculative of Taeyong’s behavior. Right up to now, however, he had shown no ill intentions. And so you question, why is he like this? 

“One last thing.” He pulls out a thick, long cloak. The fabric was a deep black and the fabric was of high quality. “This is just to keep you warm.” He smiles and lays it in your open arms. “Stay safe on your journey.” 

You and Jongin situate your new belongings and bid your farewells. The both of you start down the dirt path to the forest and as you gaze ahead, the heaviness of the situation hits you once more. Not once had you left your village before. You have barely explored the edge of the forest, let alone venturing so deep into it.

According to Taeyong, this road would lead to another village and from there you would follow the map to the dock town. You were to board a ship and sail to the southern region.   
That was the plan anyways.

Jongin whistled softly as the two of you strolled along. You could head the small pitter patter of Kyoong’s paws as he trailed alongside you on the path.   
“What kinds of things do you think live in these woods?” Asks Jongin. You look around a bit.   
“I’ve read of werewolves, fairies, trolls, just about anything.” You reply.   
“I heard man eating bears live in these woods.” He gives you a bit of a mischievous look.   
“Yeah right.” You roll your eyes and look away from him. “I have never heard of man eating bears before.”   
“I dunno, YN, if you can play with magic I think man eating bears can exist.” You could hear the smile in his voice. “Besides, just because you haven’t seen one doesn’t mean it can’t be real.”  
“I suppose....”you trail. “I don’t really have the luxury of worrying about man eating bears right now though,” you say a bit darkly. This whole situation was still so surreal to you. 

You, of all people in the world, was ‘prophesized’ to go on some bizarre adventure in order to stop a deadly plague? This seemed to be the kind of story you read about. Whether or not you wanted to believe what was happening, here you were, walking on some dirt road through the forest to get to a town that you’ve never seen before.   
“How long did the guard guy say it would take before we reached the village?” Jongin broke your thoughts with his question.  
“About a day on foot.” You reply. He lets out a sigh.   
“One whole day huh.” He says to himself. He goes silent as if he’s in thought, then, he suddenly grabs onto your arm. “YN, did you hear that?” Your startled by the sudden contact and stop in your tracks.   
“Hear what?” You look at him. He’s looking out into the woods with wide eyes.   
“There’s like, cracking noises.” He holds onto you tighter and points out into the bushes. You look where he points only to see nothing but greenery. Was he going mad already?   
“Jongin, I don’t see anything.” You frown a bit.   
“I could’ve sworn I heard something.” He insists.   
“Maybe it’s that man eating bear you keep talking about.” He whines a bit at your joke and pouts at you.  
“Not funny.”   
“You seemed pretty amused by it not too long ago. Come on, there’s nothing there.” You pat his head and he straightens himself out.   
“I could’ve sworn I heard something...” he maintains his pout and the both of you start to walk again.

That’s how the rest of the morning went, the two of you would make a few jokes, followed by silence. Then, Jongin would freak out over some mysterious noise he had heard. You weren’t sure if he was joking or he was genuinely that jumpy. Knowing him it could very well be a mix of both. 

It was barely past noon when Jongin suddenly plopped himself on a nearby log.   
“I’m hungry. Let’s stop and eat.” He tells you as he starts digging through his bag for food. Pretty hungry yourself, you don’t bother arguing. You take a seat next to him and grab some bread from your bag. You offer a bit to Kyoong before biting some off yourself. 

“Ok, let’s say there isn’t man eating bears.” You roll your eyes playfully at his statement. “Werewolves are pretty scary too, no?” He adds.   
“I suppose, I don’t really know much about them.” You pick at the bread a bit and feed Kyoong another bite.   
“What about fairies? Do you think they’re nice?”   
“I hear fairies can go both ways. Some of them are like thieves, and others are really giving.”   
“Trolls?”   
“Live in the mountains as far as I know.”   
“Man you really don’t know anything, huh?” Jongin turns to you and pokes your cheek. You just shake your head in response. Kyoong jumps up onto your lap to give you a bit of a comforting presence. “For all that reading you do, you don’t know much.”   
“They don’t really let me read about things like that, for whatever reason.” You shrug and pet Kyoong’s head.  
“Hmph.” Jongin finishes his food and swings his legs, waiting for you to finish up. 

“Do you think you’ll take that guard guy up on his offer?” You tilt your head at his question.   
“Which offer?”  
“Like, turning back and asking for his help.” He looks at you directly.   
“I dunno. It’s too early to tell anything right now, Nini.” You look back at him.   
“I don’t want to.” He speaks frankly. “I don’t like him.”   
“What?” You look at him a bit more quizzically. Jongin wasn’t really the type to dislike a person without a completely valid reason. Taeyong was nice, and genuinely caring. You could understand him a bit considering that he was still a guard and still worked for the king; however, to you, Taeyong had proven that he wasn’t quite like the other guards. 

Jongin scrunches his face.  
“I just don’t like him, YN. Besides, I believe that we can do this, just you and me.” He gives you a reassuring smile and you feel a shuffle in your lap. Kyoong was looking at Jongin expectantly, as if telling him that it was not in fact just the two of you. “And of course Kyoong.” Jongin smiles again and pets the top of Kyoong’s head which earns a satisfactory purr from the black cat.   
“We’ll see.” Is all you say. 

The rest of the day followed the same pattern: jokes, mysterious noises, and a lot of awkward silences. After a long day of traveling, the sun finally started to set in the distance. You could feel the wind growing colder, and the forest around you grew much darker. Your feet were starting to feel sore and tired from the extensive walking. Before you could even mention stopping, Jongin spoke up.   
“You think we can find a small place to set up camp?”   
“Probably.” You respond. The two of you step off the main road and look at the woods. You look at him and he looks at you. You wouldn’t admit it, but you were apprehensive about heading into the forest. You could tell Jongin was also a bit tense. He was waiting for you to move first. Kyoong senses both yours and Jongin’s hesitation and he goes forward into the forest first. Jongin shrugs and follows the black cat into the brush and your the last one to trail behind them. 

The three of you come across a small break in the trees where a small clearing lies. It was perfect for a camping space.   
“You at least know how to start a fire, right?” You give Jongin a look, he just gives you a teasing smile in response.   
“Make yourself useful and get some wood, before I use your clothes as fuel for the fire.”


	4. Wolves

It was quiet and peaceful around the campfire as the three of you tried to warm up the best you could. Kyoong was curled up on your lap and Jongin sat across from you. 

It seemed that Jongin was getting sleepy until suddenly his head snapped up,  
“YN did you hear that?” Sleepy yourself, you raised your head a bit and look at him straight on.   
“Hear what?” You ask him. You figured that he was having another one of those moments where he was just scared of every sound the forest made and you showed no concern.   
“I heard some branches cracking” he replies, his voice wavering from the growing fear he most likely felt.   
“I’d imagine so, we’re in a forest after all.” You say back to him rather sarcastically. You were tired and didn’t want him causing any more unnecessary worry today. That’s when you heard it yourself, a loud snapping noise very close to your left side. Kyoong immediately sat up in your lap and his head was turned in the direction of the sound. “Ok now that, I heard.” You mention quietly. 

Jongin reaches to his side to grab the small dagger he removed from his person earlier and stood up, albeit he still stood like a coward. 

Another snap sounded, this time it was closer. Kyoong’s fur stood up on his back as he increasingly grew more anxious at the sounds. His nose wiggles slightly and you could tell from the low growl in his chest that there was in fact, something in those woods. You kept your gaze fixed on the woods, waiting for something to appear. And something did appear. 

A squirrel runs out from the bushes and darts it’s way across the campsite. It ran right into the opposite side of the clearing and back into the woods. 

You turned to look at Jongin, who had visibly become less tense.   
“I swear to god if you don’t stop making a big deal out of everything-“ you start. Jongin just laughs, loudly. Mostly to cover his own embarrassment you assume. Kyoong was not impressed as he made himself comfortable on your lap again and glared in the direction that the squirrel ran off to.   
“How was I supposed to know it was just a squirrel???” He questions, a wide embarrassing grin on his face. The tension around you all died down as you both relax from the encounter. You rolled your eyes and shooed Kyoong off of your lap as you stoodup. “Let’s just go to sleep before you lose your shit over another squirrel.” You walked to your supplies and grab your bed roll. You rolled it out just as Jongin grabbed his and did the same. Finally, you were able to rest for the day. You laid down inside the sleeping bag and offered Kyoong a nice warm spot next you to. He complied of course and curled next to you. Jongin was already fast asleep like he always was and soon enough you drifted off to sleep as well. 

You awaken to a growl. When you open your eyes, it was still very much night time. Apart from the growls you heard from Kyoong, you had also heard rustling.   
“Jongin is that you?” You call out. The rustling stopped. You sat up and that’s when you saw it. It was certainly not Jongin. 

A large wolf hunched itself over your food supplies, ripping and digging through your bags. Kyoong moves away from you and only growls louder at the beast. The beast turns its attention towards you and Kyoong, a large piece of meat dangled from its mouth. “Hey!” You exclaimed, slowly moving to stand up. As you stood up, it seemed as if the beast only got bigger. The wolf let out a low growl in warning, but you would not stand down. “Put the food down.” You demand as if the wolf could understand you. You were not about to lose all the food you so meticulously gathered at the village for the journey. 

The beast only growls louder as it set down the food and instead turned its aggression fully towards you. Suddenly, Kyoong moves himself between you and the beast and tries to make himself appear larger in order to seem scarier. His fur standing straight up from all sides. The image would be a bit silly in any other situation, but in this moment you were struck with mostly terror. What would happen? The two animals started circling each other in a sort of animal standoff. The two kept staring at each other, daring the other to step forward and do something. It seemed as though they were having an unspoken conversation with their eyes. 

It happened all too fast for you to register each event as it was happening. Suddenly the wolf leapt forward, then a large light emitted from your familiar and in place stood a man who held out his hands to form a light barrier between him and the wolf. The creature bounced off and ricocheted into the fire pit. The fire pit no longer had fire but the coals were still extremely hot and seemed to burn the skin of the wolf who had let out a yelp. As this man, who had taken the place of your familiar started to advance towards the wolf, you let out a yell.   
“Kyoong?!?!” The man’s head whips around and towards you as he stops emitting light magic from his fingertips. You stood there, frozen, not even registering what had happened yet completely. You spoke out again, “Where is Kyoong?” The man just blinked.   
“I am Kyoong.” He said in a soft voice. The events finally clicked into place in your head after the adrenaline started to ware off.   
“But you’re...”   
“A human” he finished for you. He glanced over at the wolf who had moved from the pit and laid still on the ground. You remained speechless as he came over to you and put one hand on your shoulder. “YN” he said with a gentle voice. You blinked your eyes and looked at him, taking in his appearance. You widened your eyes.   
“Oh mY GOD YOUR NAKED!” You step away and cover your eyes almost immediately. The man, seeming to be Kyoong, scrambled around and eventually pulled your hands away from your eyes. You looked at him again only this time, he had wrapped a blanket around himself.   
“Sorry about that...” he said sheepishly.   
“Is... is it really you Kyoong?” You hear Jongin’s voice peep up from his bedroll and both you and ‘Kyoong’ glance over to him. He was fixing his hair and squinting and the two of you, not even sure if he could believe his eyes.   
“Yes.” Was Kyoong’s reply. “And as much as I love the nickname, I’d prefer it if you called me Baekhyun instead.” He adds after. Jongin sits there in complete disbelief.   
“How.... why....” you couldn’t even bring yourself to form a proper question.   
“I’d like to explain more but, I think our wolf friend here needs to be taken care of.” Kyoong-or rather-Baekhyun had nodded his head in the direction of the wolf. Then the second half of the situation hit you, the wolf was hurt. It had laid there relatively silent, you weren’t sure if it was dead, or passed out, or what, but it didn’t seem to be in good condition. You made a move to approach it but Baekhyun stopped you.   
“Don’t get too close, wolves are aggressive when they’re injured.” He told you.   
“Kyoong I need to look at him” you said without looking at him. “I’ve helped injured animals before.” You added. Baekhyun, still unconvinced, didn’t let you budge. A little bit frustrated and also just tired, you moved his hands away from you and approached the wolf. It’s eyes were still open and it looked at you as you came closer. A low grown emitted from its throat, but this wasn’t your first time. You carefully knelt beside it, using one hand you summoned magic to keep the creature still. “Kyoong grab the medicine pack for me”  
“You’re not seriously thinking about helping it-“ Jongin starts whining.   
“Can you call me by my name first?” Baekhyun says from behind you.  
“Kyoong get the medicine pack” you repeated, this time a bit more stern. You heard a sign and shuffling behind you, but you couldn’t turn your head away from the wolf as a loss of focus would result in a failing spell. Baekhyun came next to you and offering the medicine pack which you gladly took with your other hand. “It seems as though he was burned by not just the coals...” you trailed.   
“My light magic must’ve burned him as well.” You heard your once familiar say from next to you. You let out a sigh and resisted the urge to hit him.   
“I’m not going to ask how you know light magic yet, but can you at least help me because I have only one hand.” You said to him. Baekhyun didn’t waste much time and assisted you in patching up the wounds. 

With each application of burn cream, the wolf whined and sometimes even growled in protest. It started becoming harder to keep the spell over the beast as it started thrashing around a little bit more and that’s when ultimately you decided to put a sleeping spell on the poor thing. When it stopped making noises, you heard Jongin peep up again:  
“Did you kill it?”   
“No, Jongin.” You respond as you hear your friend come closer. 

When Baekhyun helped you finish addressing the burns, you turned to him. “Explain.” He raised his eyebrow at you and turned his head to face you.   
“Explain what?” He questioned almost seeming oblivious.   
“Explain wha-“ you began by repeating his absolutely stupid question, “-explain how the hell you are a human”   
“Oh right. That.” He seemed as if it was just a minor detail that could be easily forgotten. “Well it’s simple really, I was born a human.” You opened your mouth to respond and then you hit him. “Ouch ok- Sorry- I’ll explain more.” He rubs his arm with a pout and then he turns his body too so that he is fully facing you. “I’m not really just a human, I’m also a wizard. You’re probably not too familiar with my reputation as I’m from another kingdom, but I used to be a very proficient light magic wielder.” 

“You see,” he continued, “I’m from a kingdom that wasn’t as ashamed of its magic-wielding citizens as they are here. I grew up relatively happy and even attended a magic school. However, a lot of that happiness came to an end when I met this witch.” Both your interest and Jongin’s interest peaked a bit.

“Not to toot my own horn or anything but a lot of the witches fawned over me. I was one of the most handsome students in the school after all.” Jongin let out a scoff at his words and you only rolled your eyes. As much as you agreed, you wouldn’t admit it. “Anyways, this witch became increasingly obsessed with me. She started following me after classes, gifting me odd things and getting every opportunity she could to try and make me talk to her. At first I merely brushed it off, I knew a lot of girls were pining for my attention and that she was no different.” 

“Not to be rude but you kinda sound like a dick.” Jongin cut in. You let out a small giggle as a small frown flashed across Baekhyun’s face. Instead of replying, he just pretended like he didn’t hear anything and continued on:  
“And then our yearly school magic ball came up. Girls consistently asked to be my date but I didn’t accept any offers. Then she came to me. She asked me quite simply, batting her eyelashes and whatnot and even offered me flowers. I just said no in response, and although everything seemed normal at first, it wasn’t.” 

“It wasn’t until the ball came that something happened. I was with the girl I agreed to accompany with to the ball and suddenly she stormed in to the dance and demanded my attention. As a gentleman, of course, I politely declined again and that’s when she pulled out this old ass runic spell book of sorts. The title wasn’t easy to make out but then she started chanting.” Baekhyun looks directly at you. 

“I don’t know if you’ve ever been around any type of dark magic, but it has a distinct smell. When she started chanting a black sort of mist came from her fingers. It smelled foul. In her hand she held what seemed to be a lock of my hair, now how that happened I have no idea. But the hair burned up in her palm and suddenly I was attacked with the black mist.” Baekhyun seemed very nonchalant about everything, when in reality this must have been very scary and traumatizing to have experienced. 

“I was knocked out for who knows how long, but when I woke up, I wasn’t me anymore. I was in the infirmary and the first thing I noticed were the black paws. For the next few weeks the strongest witches and wizards from my region had come to me to try and figure out what the hell happened. Everyone knew what black magic was, but no one understood how it worked. Surprisingly, that witch escaped. No one could find her and I was just stuck as a little helpless cat. Eventually people started giving up and I started getting upset and depressed. My parents got angry and eventually I ran away from home. “ 

“So wait,” Jongin cut in again. “If you weren’t able to find a cure from your kitty illness then how come you’re here as a human now ?”   
“Uhm... to be honest... I don’t know. Maybe it had something to do with the magical bond of being a familiar and the strong sense to protect my witch, but this is the first time I’ve been human in... years.” Baekhyun responded, he still kept his eyes on you, surveying your reaction the whole time. You stayed quiet for the whole time and kept your eyes on Baekhyun as well. “Perhaps we have a special magical bond that could break the spell, huh?” He smiled a bit and winked at you. Your cheeks turned a bit pink until you realized;   
“You’ve seen me change.” The words came out of your mouth and as soon as they did you leaned over to strangle Baekhyun. Surprised at the sudden attack he backed off and let you fall to the ground instead.   
“I closed my eyes!” He retaliated.   
“I doubt it, pervert!”You scowled at him and sat yourself back up again.   
“It’s true!” he pouted at you but you ignored it.  
“Listen, I’m tired and it’s probably past midnight by now, we should sleep” Jongin interrupted. “We can discuss more in the morning” he said as he made his way back over to his bed roll.   
“Fine, but you’re sleeping on the ground” you told Baekhyun.   
“Aw what- now that’s not fair-“ he began to argue but you had already made your way over to your sleeping bag and started to get comfy.   
“I think it’s a fair enough punishment for you for being gross.” He frowned at you as you finally got comfortable. “Goodnight Baekhyun.” He pouted in response and came over near you and laid on the ground next to you.   
“It’s cold, YN” he says simply.   
“Maybe you should’ve thought of that before.” You shut your eyes and he sat up.   
“Hey now wait a second it’s not my fault that I was turned into a cat! I was just trying to get used to living like one!” You open your eyes again to look at him. You stared into his eyes, those deep brown eyes of his that had changed from his yellow cat-like ones. Another pout was evident on his lips and his brows furrowed. 

As much as you wanted to deny him, and as much as it annoyed you to no end that he was actually human, you couldn’t ignore any of the companionship you two shared over the years. He was by your side no matter what ever since you formed the familiar bond. Even right before you set off for your journey he gave you comfort. 

You finally give into him and open up the sleeping bag. 

With almost no hesitation, he joins you, curling up a bit beside you as he kept his blanket wrapped around himself to avoid any unnecessary skin contact. You sigh and make yourself comfortable once more. You close your eyes.   
“Goodnight Kyoong.” You hear a small noise of contentment before you drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now to address the other elephant in the room


	5. Wolves Part 2

You awoke in the morning to the sun glaring down at your sleeping form. The air war cool but the sun was less than merciful. You turns over and opened your eyes, noticing that Kyoong’s sleeping form was not beside you. You pat your hand around on the bedroll before lifting your head to look around. Then you spotted him. You were expecting the familiar form of a black cat but instead it was just the human, Baekhyun. You laid still for a moment, watching him move about as he tried to make food. You took note that he must’ve robbed some clothes from Jongin’s bag as you figured he wouldn’t have fit into yours. 

You studied him carefully from your laying position. The night didn’t allow you to fully take in his appearance and frankly you were curious as to what he really looked like. You watched as he started a small fire and held a small pot over the flames. His hair was black like his fur. It was a bit long as it was starting to hug the back of his nape. It was also tousled, likely from him just waking up. The bangs were pushed up exposing his forehead. His side profile was flawless. The line from his nose curved into his lips perfectly and then trailed to his sharp chin and jaw. He had finely chiseled cheekbones that had complimented his eye shape surprisingly well. He was anything but short of being a heart throb and suddenly his story from last night didn’t seem far fetched. 

You had been watching him so long that when you flickered your gaze to where the wolf was laying, there was no wolf, only a man. Shocked, you finally sat up from your bedroll. You then stood up and groggily stumbled over to where the wolf, who is now a man, once was. Baekhyun must have noticed your sudden movement as he was instantly by your side.  
“Kyoong? What happened? Is- is that-“  
“It is.” He interrupts you.  
“Did you know??” You turn your focus from the wolf-man to your familiar.  
“I had an inkling.” He replies simply. You return your gaze to the naked man, who was so carefully covered in a blanket thanks to Baekhyun you assume. 

Curious, you stepped forward and leaned down to investigate. This man too was impossibly good looking. He was still asleep and you took the opportunity to slowly move the blanket away from the man’s chest in an attempt to spot where the burns were. Baekhyun was looking over your shoulder tensely, ready to move and pull you away at any second. You spot the burns on his lower abdomen, but not after admiring what a godly body this man had. He was built fairly well and you couldn’t help stare at his sculpted body. You had to quickly shake your thoughts away before picking up the medical kit from the ground nearby. You figured now was a good time to apply fresh burn dressing.

You carefully unravel the makeshift bandages with Baekhyun still breathing down your neck, and uncovered the wounds. However, something wasn’t quite right about the condition of these burn marks. It seemed that whatever dressing you applied last night, didn’t seem to help. In fact, it seems to have made it worse.  
“Are you ogling at his abs or his wounds ?” Baekhyun speaks right into your ear. You jump from the sudden intimacy and move away from him. You look over at him with a scowl.  
“His wounds are infected..” you could only pity the poor thing. You use a clean rag and wet it using a simple water spell and then you get to work cleaning the wounds. 

The second you touched raw skin however, his eyes snapped open and he reached over and grabbed your wrists.  
“What are you doing?!” He demands in a low growl. As you sit there in complete shock, Baekhyun reacts first by trying to take his hands off of you. The man’s glare was fierce and his muscles were strong and tense.  
“Hands off big guy” Baekhyun says as he tries to coax his fingers off. The man was not giving in.  
“Who are you?” The man speaks directly to you without addressing Baekhyun at all. You wince a bit as his grip tightens on you, his fingers were likely starting to leave a mark on your skin from the sheer force. Baekhyun starts to move in between the two of you, ready to rip this man’s hands off of you, but you interrupt him by answering the man’s question.  
“I’m helping you, if you hadn’t realized, you’re injured.” you nod to the wounds on his side and stomach. Then, as if he suddenly felt the pain of his injuries, he let go of your wrists and instead turned his attention to his abdomen.  
“What the fuck...?” He spoke in a low voice. You rub your wrists before reaching over and swatting his hands away before he could touch his own injuries.  
“You’re gonna make it worse if you touch it, dumbass-“ you scold. 

At this point in time, Jongin had finally woken up and made his way over to observe.  
“Don’t you know any healing spells??” Jongin asks and your attention is turned towards your bed-head best friend.  
“Very minor ones” you answer him and then reach for the medicine pack again. “It doesn’t help that Kyoong used light magic on him last night which likely makes the injuries worse.” The man observes you and Baekhyun observes him observing you.  
“What happened?” The man speaks again.  
“You kinda ransacked our campsite last night and ate like half of our food supply. “ Baekhyun responds, a little snippy. Baekhyun was staying close to your side and watching the wolf-man’s hands.  
“Ah...” he says as if finally understanding what his situation is. “I just... remember... hunger... and pain...” he looks from you to Baekhyun and then back to you. 

“You’re... a werewolf aren’t you ?” Jongin butts in.  
“No shit-“ speaks Baekhyun before being cut off by the man.  
“I was recently kicked out of my pack, I don’t remember much besides leaving them and trying to survive on my own...” he rubs his head as he struggles to remember any exact details.  
“Don’t worry about it for now and let me fix your wound, ok?” You cut off his train of thoughts before he could mention anything else and instead you reached forward again with the rag in hand to clean up some of the mess around his wounds. He grabs your wrists again before you could touch him.  
“Are you going to make it hurt again?” He asks you, his voice is laced with the smallest hints of betrayal.  
“Well in order to clean it properly I kinda have to...” you avoid his piercing gaze and instead you find the rag in your hands much more interesting.  
“Just let her fix it for you, it’s easier that way.” Baekhyun tells him.  
“Easy for you to say tail chaser” the man’s attention was turned to Baekhyun now. Surprised by his retort, Baekhyun is momentarily speechless, he just gapes his mouth open like a fish before closing it again.

He then speaks again after reeling back from the hostility.  
“Just be a good dog and listen to my little witch ok?” Baekhyun smiles sweetly. There was a growl from the man as he made a move to hit Baekhyun which was stopped by you before his punch made any contact. You had grabbed his arm and pulled him back more towards you.  
“Just stop arguing and let me help, please?” You plead with him. The man looks at you again and you could’ve sworn he was pouting at you.  
“Why do you want to help anyways? Like kitty cat said, I kinda ransacked your camp didn’t I?” He sheepishly rubs the back of his neck. “Which I’m very sorry about...” he adds quickly.  
“Kitty cat-“  
“You only ransacked us because you were hungry no? Animals can’t really help their instincts when it comes to things like that can they? Do you really expect me to turn you away when all you wanted was food?” You cut Baekhyun off before he could start another spat. “Besides, I feel bad because you got burned so badly.”  
“To be fair he almost attacked you last night” Baekhyun adds matter-of-factly.  
“He doesn’t remember it don’t hold it against him” you respond.  
“How about we just fix him up and send him on his way?” Jongin butts in again. You feel bad at the thought of making him leave right after you fix him up. He had mentioned that he was kicked out of his pack earlier and it seemed that he has no place to return to.  
“That sounds good to me, I don’t know if I can handle the smell of dog anymore-“ Baekhyun interrupts your thoughts a bit rudely before you can ponder on the matter anymore.  
“For the love of God, stop antagonizing him, Kyoong.” You scold him. Baekhyun backs away and gives you the look of a dejected puppy while man sends a glare at Baekhyun and moves closer to you.  
“If... if you want to help, I’ll let you.” His eyes capture yours and you can’t help but feel terrible at any suggestion of completely abandoning him.  
“Ok, let’s fix you up and go from there.” He then finally lets you close enough so that you can clean out the wounds. 

When you started to apply the burn ointment, he grabs you by the wrists again.  
“We talked about this-“ you start to speak before being cut off.  
“It burns.” He says, his voice a little shaky.  
“It’s bound to hurt a little bit.”  
“I don’t know if it’s supposed to make the wound turn black though...” Jongin says, pointing at how the burns from the light magic weren’t reacting appropriately to the burn ointment. You inspect the wound a bit closer and it seems that instead of the burn ointment applying as normal, it was reacting with the raw skin from the light magic burn and making it turn black, almost as if it was burning the skin even more.  
“What the hell..? I must’ve not noticed it last night when it was still dark. No wonder they weren’t healing properly this morning.” The wolf-man seems to be in even more pain than before, he starts taking deep breaths and clenching his jaw, trying not to make any noise. “Kyoong? You know about light magic, why is it reacting this way?” Baekhyun moves close again and inspects the burns for a moment.  
“Well I remember the nurses from the infirmary putting a cream on my light magic burns back in school, personally I thought it was just your standard burn cream. “ He replies to you, a bit embarrassed at his lack of knowledge.  
“So what, you can’t fix it?” Huffs the wolf. You stand up and move away from the three and make your way to your bag to dig through your supplies. You were searching for your first aid book. “Maybe I should just go then-“ you hear him behind you.  
“No! No.. you’re not leaving!” You turn back around, book in hand. “Let’s figure this out together. “ you return to your kneeling position besides the wolf-man. “Kyoong go finish breakfast.” You order your familiar, nose deep in reading. You can hear Baekhyun let out a huff as he goes off to finish the breakfast he had started preparing earlier.

You feel a sudden hot breath on your shoulder and turn your head a bit, there was the wolf’s face right next to yours. Not that you didn’t really mind, but it startled you nonetheless. Picking up on your reaction, he moves his head away a bit with a quick ‘sorry’. Jongin stood up and it seemed that he decided to go and harass Baekhyun while he made breakfast.  
“Ah... here we go.” You finally stumble on the section for the burn cream recipes. It was only now that you realized there was a multitude of burn creams for different purposes. You glaze through them before finding exactly what you needed. “There is a light magic burn cream.” You felt the wolf release the tension in his body from behind you as he becomes more relieved at the news. “Except.. we need to go a town to get the ingredients for it.” You add.  
“If I recall correctly, there’s one not too far from here.” The man’s hot voice tickles your ear and you shiver a bit from the sensation. Ultimately, you tried to brush off the sudden closeness of the wolf-man. 

Baekhyun interrupts your thoughts by coming back over with food, followed by the man-child that is Jongin, and sets the food on the ground. His gaze flickers to the werewolf that was currently making himself a little too comfortable in your neck area and decides to settle himself right next to you, laying his head on your shoulder to move the wolf’s face away. The wolf lets out a huff that is barely audible in response and settles for just moving to your other side.  
“Thanks Kyoong.” You say as you start to slurp away at your morning stew. “If we want to make any progress today on our journey, we should eat quickly and head to the village.” You make a quick mental note of the ingredients and shut the book, and fully turn your attention towards the food. “We need to be careful though because this involves magic. And usually people who know any spells that will harm someone aren’t very common in these parts. “  
“I know I know, I’ve been living with you forever haven’t I? I know what those magic controlling dickwads look for.” Baekhyun brushes it off, his blatant insult to the soldiers earns a chuckle from Jongin. 

“What about our wolf friend here, will he be able to move ok?” Jongin motions towards the werewolf who kept quiet. “In addition, being a wolf in this region isn’t exactly something the kingdom likes either. “  
“It’s not like they can tell he’s a wolf.” You say, finishing off your food. “We just have to put clothes on him.”  
“Hey, Kyoong already stole my clothes!” Jongin pouts.  
“Only she can call me Kyoong. You have to call me Baekhyun.” Baekhyun pokes Jongin’s forehead.  
“Well you think he’ll want to wear a dress? You’re going to have to find something that’ll fit him.” And with your words, Jongin stands up and starts rummaging through his stuff. “By the way, we never got your name.” You look over at the wolf.  
“Chanyeol.” He tells you simply. “Yours?”  
“YN.” You answer.

“YN.” Chanyeol repeats as if testing the name out on his tongue and then he gives you a cute smile. You take note of the dimple on his cheek, making his appearance that much more attractive. “Pretty.” This comment from him earns a soft blush from you as you look away from him.  
“I’m Baekhyun. My name is pretty too isn’t it?” Baekhyun boasts as he tries to cut into the conversation. Jongin comes back with the biggest clothes he owns and tosses them over to the large man. You politely keep your eyes down when Chanyeol moves the blanket away from his lower half to put on the pants. You hear him struggle as he grabs the shirt and tries to put it on. You turn back around and immediately reach out to help him put the shirt on.  
“Be careful...” you speak to him quietly. You help him pull the shirt over his head. You barely miss Baekhyun’s annoyed looks as you finally straighten the shirt out. You glance up at Chanyeol only to catch him looking directly down at you. You lock eyes for a moment before Baekhyun interrupts the two of you by speaking.  
“Alright puppy, up we go.” Baekhyun grabs the wolf by the arm suddenly and hoists him up with a bit of force.

With Baekhyun’s-rough-help, Chanyeol stands up. It was then you took note of how absolutely massive this man was. He was towering above not only you, but Baekhyun as well, which earned a bit of a scowl from your familiar. Even Jongin was a little short in comparison, and you had considered Jongin to be the tallest boy you knew. In addition to his height, his muscular build made him appear just that more massive. You couldn’t help yourself but to look Chanyeol up and down, very obviously checking him out. What was with you and attracting the company of handsome men..? 

“Alright let’s get going then.” Baekhyun pulls you out of your thoughts with his voice and drags your arm to go pack up the camp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next update after this might take a tad longer I’m so sorry! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter just as much as I enjoyed writing it.


	6. Supplies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it’s short but I’m really struggling with this chapter for some reason...

The town took a few more hours of traveling on foot to reach. During the trip, Baekhyun continuously interrogated Chanyeol, Jongin whined about not having anymore food, and by the time the town appeared on the horizon, you were just about sick of the three of them. 

“So what’s the plan?” Asks Jongin as the group of you approach the village.   
“I think we should split up.” You declare. “Two of us search for food, and two of us search for the ingredients needed.”   
“Great. YN and I will find the burn cream ingredients and you two can go get food.” Baekhyun loops his arm with yours and sends the other two boys a taunting smile.   
“I was actually thinking that Chanyeol could come with me instead.” You say as you slowly peel Baekhyun’s arm away. The look of utter betrayal on his face was almost comical.   
“But I’m your familiar!” He protests with a pout.   
“You’ve kinda been an ass all morning.” You tease him. “Besides, I’d like to get these burns healed as quickly as possible, and it’s easier if I don’t have to track down our wolf friend.” 

As the group of you enter the town, you stop and pull out the bag of coins so kindly given by Taeyong. You open it up and dump some into your open palm.   
“Can I trust you with this money Kyoong?” You move your hand out to Baekhyun. Seemingly still a bit upset that he isn’t coming with you, Baekhyun just pouts.   
“I’ll take it, you can trust me.” Jongin gives you a reassuring smile and takes the money from your hand. Whether or not you could actually trust Jongin with these funds was debatable; however, you didn’t have much of an option considering Baekhyun was unresponsive.   
“Ok, just, don’t do anything stupid ok?” You tie the pouch back up and loop it around your belt where it had previously been.   
“We won’t!” Jongin gives you another one of his award-winning smiles and pats Baekhyun on the shoulder. “Let’s go Kyoong!” He turns around and heads into the town.   
“Only YN can call me that!” Baekhyun yeol’s after Jongin and then proceeds to follow him into the town. 

You turn your attention to Chanyeol who was just standing there awkwardly.   
“Come on.” You give him a small smile and lead him into the town as well. 

The two of you had gathered most of the common ingredients, but were struggling a lot in finding anything magical. The one ingredient that was giving you the most trouble was something called Luminescent Powder. You had next to no experience with light magic, let alone anything related to healing burns from it. You were starting to think bringing Baekhyun along might’ve been a better idea, but the way that Chanyeol practically clung to your side made you think different. Right now you could only trust yourself to take care of the oversized werewolf. You highly doubted Jongin would tend to him some carefully. The poor thing was trying to hide his pain from you with every step he took but you could still catch the pained look in his eyes whenever you glanced over at him. 

Suddenly, an old woman approaches you. Her clothes were tattered and her appearance was anything but cleanly. She kept her knotted hair pulled back into a loose pony tail that trailed down her hunched back. She was shorter than you and barely looked up to meet your eyes. She only possessed a small satchel and she pointed directly to your wrist.   
“You’re a witch aren’t you?” She asks directly. Ah, she had spotted the mark. 

Any witch or otherwise magic user in your region was brandished with a mark designed by the magic counsel. It was a relatively simple design but was very distinct in order to properly identify magic users in the region. The mark was forced upon you, as magic users who were unmarked were considered illegal and could be punished by death. 

You rub your wrist self consciously and nod in reply. That’s when the old woman lifts up her arm and reveals to you her own mark. It was partially healed but still very much the mark of a witch.  
“You seem to be lost, young one.” She speaks a bit softer to you. “Why are you here in our village?”   
“My companions and I are just passing through, but we need supplies.” You keep your reply simple and to the point.   
“Perhaps you are searching for magical supplies?” She suggests to you and your interest perks. She had seemingly read you like a book.  
“You... have some?” You push a bit, still a little wary. She gives you a kind smile and answers:  
“Yes, I own a small shop here in town. There are a few magic users that live here who need supplies for their studies. Perhaps I can help you with what you need.” You eagerly nod your head, and with that she guides you and Chanyeol through the town and to her shop.

The shop was indeed small. It was actually a small stand that sat outside a home, presumably her home.   
“So what is it you need?” The lady asks, looking at you and then to Chanyeol.   
“Do you perhaps have, luminescent powder?” You ask, briefly looking over her wares in the process. Most of what she had were very basic magical supplies. Including simple potion ingredients.   
“My, that’s a bit expensive young one. Why would you need such a thing?” The lady starts searching through her things.   
“My friend here has a light magic burn, and I need it in order to make the burn cream for it.” You tell her.  
“Light magic burn you say?” She looks back at you and then she looks at Chanyeol again. “I have enough powder to be used for such a thing. However it has a hefty price.” The woman pulls out a purple pouch and opens up the bag. When you take a peek it almost blinds you. The powder inside was highly reflective and had a glowing quality to it. It surely looked expensive. You take the pouch from your belt, ready to buy the powder. “How much for it, ma’am?” You ask innocently.   
“50 silver.” Your jaw drops at her reply. 

Taeyong had supplied you with 150 silver coins, which you had thought would be plenty to get you started on your journey. You had given, give or take, 50 to Jongin for shopping reasons as he probably would need a bit to replace the amount of lost food. But 50 silver for a measly amount of powder? This was absurd.   
“That seems like a bit much ma’am, perhaps you could lower the price to 30 silver..?” You offer. Chanyeol was staying silent and still as he was looking between you and the old woman. She sighs a bit and shakes her head.   
“I’m afraid the lowest I can go for this is 45, young one.” She gives you a sorrowful look and you couldn’t help but pity her. 

Her shop was so small it was just an outdoor stand, her clothes were completely tattered, and to top it all off she was like you. She was probably struggling to make ends meet and the look in her eyes only made you feel worse. In addition, the way Chanyeol was practically limping around the village made you feel that perhaps this was worth it. 

So you gave in. You counted out 50 silver and placed it in her hands. The old woman smiled so sweetly at you and bowed her head.   
“Thank you young one.” She handed over the bag of powder and you simply smiled back.   
“No, thank you.” You turn around to Chanyeol who’s eyes were still fixed on the old woman. You nudged him a bit and he turned to look at you. There was a strange expression that briefly crossed his features but it disappeared quickly. You offer him your arm and he loops his arm with yours after a moment of hesitation. Then, the two of you look for Baekhyun and Jongin.

You had found the two sitting on the edge of a small fountain, eating. The rest of the ingredients for the cream you discovered that you actually had in your supplies, lessening the amount that you had to purchase. You take a seat next to Jongin and steal a piece of his bread that he was snacking on. He throws a pout in your direction and you only stick your tongue out at him.  
“Successful?” Baekhyun asks. You nod your head.   
“The supplies were a bit expensive though, so we need to be careful with spending from now on.” You look down, a little bit ashamed now that you had spent so much.   
“How much did you spend??” Jongin asks with his mouthful of food. Chanyeol took a seat on your other side.   
“Probably about 65 silver.” He answers for you.   
“S-sixty five—“ Jongin’s jaw drops. “What in the world was so expensive ?!”   
“Yeah! We barely spent even 20!” Baekhyun pipes up. 

“Something called luminescent powder...” You trail a bit shyly. “This old woman said it was pretty expensive stuff.” Baekhyun stands up and moves his body in front of you. You look up at him. “Listen I know it was a bit careless but-“   
“YN.” Baekhyun cuts you off. “Do you know what luminescent powder is?” He was staring down at you intensely. His eyes wouldn’t betray the exact emotion that he felt though. You shake your head in response. You could feel yourself growing smaller and smaller right in front of him. “YN. Luminescent powder is crushed stones enchanted with light magic. To any light magic user it’s worth less than a copper as it is so easy to obtain.” That’s when the anger flared in his eyes and you could so vividly see it now.   
“I’m sorry I had no idea.” You look away from him in absolute shame. You should have known better. You were so easily tricked by this woman. Baekhyun had every right to be angry at you. You could hear him let out a loud huff.   
“Who was it?” He prompts. You lift your head to look at him again. His face was significantly closer to yours. His eyes were burning with a rage more intense than you were expecting. You almost flinched at his gaze. 

He moves one of his hands to your cheek.  
“YN, who scammed you?” He asks again. This time the tone of his voice was deeper and more serious.   
“Some old witch,” you reply to him. He then pulls his face away from you and looks around. “But I don’t think she really meant any harm-“  
“Hey wolf-boy, where is this old witch?” Baekhyun was now looking at Chanyeol and ignoring what you had said. You could feel the man stand up from beside you and you too looked over at him.  
“She owns a shop nearby.” He answers.   
“Show me.” Demands Baekhyun.   
“Hold on a second what are you planning to do?” You stand up and look between the two of them warily. “She already has the money there’s not much we can do about it now.” 

“I feel no sympathy for someone who takes advantage of anyone.” Says Baekhyun firmly. Jongin stands up as well.  
“Well? Let’s get that money back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you think Baekhyun is the type to beat up an old woman??


	7. Trickster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. If I thought any other chapters were a pain in the ass to write, I was wrong. I kept stalling on this one, so it’s definitely not up to par with the others. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy.

Chanyeol lead the way. You kept pulling on Baekhyun’s arm and begging him not to go through with whatever he was thinking. What would happen to the group of you if he had made a scene? What would he do to that poor old woman? Perhaps she was just inflating the price so she could make some money. Maybe getting luminescent powder here wasn’t as easy as he was saying it was. There were so many thoughts spinning in your head. When the four of you approached the shop stall, you noticed that the old woman was no longer at her post. Her items were packed up and the stall was practically abandoned. 

“I can still smell her.” Chanyeol says, wiggling his nose in the air and glancing around him. “She’s not too far.”   
“I don’t think we should chase her around.” You look at them with a pout. “Chanyeol is injured and if I don’t fix up his wound it’s going to get worse.” Baekhyun crosses his arms.   
“You’re just making excuses. I know you have a soft spot for other magical beings, but I don’t tolerate scammers.” He huffs. “Chanyeol, lead the way.” 

Chanyeol nods and starts to follow the scent again. Baekhyun is the first to follow, then Jongin, and you’re left the trail behind the group. The group of you come to a closed off alleyway. Chanyeol spots her first near the end. She was bent over trying to pick up some dropped goods that she was carrying. Some of the good being the things she had had for sale. The tall wolf points her out to Baekhyun.   
“That’s her.” He says, seemingly a bit proud of his tracking abilities. 

You hear Baekhyun mutter something, he makes a gesture with his hand and suddenly the old woman is not an old woman anymore. Instead, what took her place, was a slim man with a colorful garb. He stood up straight immediately and turned his gaze to the group of you. His hair was about the length of his shoulders, and the ends were styled to flip upwards. His shirt and vest displayed a rainbow of different colors, no doubt to try and show himself off. His pants followed the same pattern, vibrant with color. His expression read of that of a thief caught in the act.

“Your disguise spell is sloppy.” Baekhyun says with a bit of a snarl. He strides towards and grabs the man by his collar. There was a bit of a height difference between the two. The tall slim trickster was about a head taller than Baekhyun. Baekhyun didn’t seem too phased by it though. The man flicks his gaze towards Chanyeol, then Jongin, and then you.

“Ah.” He finally speaks. “You’re the novice witch girl. Brought your other witch friends hm?” He regains his composure. He didn’t seem so afraid of Baekhyun now. He lifts one hand and slowly peels away Baekhyun’s fingers. “This one doesn’t have the mark of a magical being. You know you can get in trouble for that.” He comments oh so casually. 

“I’m not from here. I don’t need your stupid branding.” Baekhyun doesn’t relent on his grip. “Give back the money and I’ll go easy on you.” 

“You? Go easy on me?” The trickster bellows out a loud, nasally laugh. “You’re just a kid. Besides, magic that harms others is strictly forbidden here.” He remarks with a sly smile. You step forward a bit, coming up beside Baekhyun. You put a hand on his shoulder.  
“We really can’t risk the trouble right now, Baekhyun.” You give him a pleading look. 

Baekhyun looks at you and the two of you lock eyes for a brief moment. He turns back to the man and slowly lets go of him. The man takes a step back and dusts himself off.   
“Listen to your little girlfriend, she seems to know a fair amount about the troubles it could bring you if you decide to fight.” He gives Baekhyun a grin. It wasn’t a friendly grin, no, it was definitely a grin that was intended to taunt. 

“Now hold on I’m not his girl-“  
“Judging by your poor excuse of a disguise spell, I can tell that you wouldn’t have been able to withstand my magic anyways.” Baekhyun huffs and stands straighter. He gave the man a similar grin. He was also egging the man to give in and fight. The man crosses his arms and scoffs at Baekhyun.  
“You just got lucky. The spell was about to wear off anyways.” Says the pompous asshole.

You were so focused on them bickering, you almost didn’t catch Jongin crouching down beside you. You look down at him only too see that he was swiping some of the goods off the ground, including what seemed to be a pouch of coins. You tug a bit on Baekhyun’s shirt. Jongin quickly retreats behind Chanyeol. Baekhyun doesn’t relent to your touch however and continues boasting about his magical ability. 

The trickster seemed to have caught wind of something though.  
“You thief!” He calls out suddenly. The trickster steps forward and moves Baekhyun aside. He made a move towards Chanyeol and Jongin but you step in between.   
“Listen sir, we really don’t want to cause anymore trouble.” You defend a bit weakly.   
“Your little friend swiped some of my goods!” He accuses.   
“He probably only took what you wrongfully stole.” Baekhyun comes up behind the man. The man suddenly grabs you and your positions are switched. He stands between you and Chanyeol now; however, he holds you hostage with a blade to your throat. 

“Give it back or I hurt her.” The man says, suddenly sounding so sinister. Before any of them can act, you stomp hard on the man’s foot. When he releases his grip on you out of reflex, you duck down and move away from him. Baekhyun is also quick to act. He manages to grab the wrist of the hand that held the knife and pulls the man forward to him as he lands a square punch across the man’s jaw. 

You grab Baekhyun’s hand and make a mad dash outside of the alley. You didn’t want to stick around the trickster any longer to see what trouble he could bring. Chanyeol and Jongin follow close behind and you run until you feel as though you’re a safe distance away from trouble. 

Once the group of you settle, you decide to stay at the local inn for the night. Jongin has managed to swipe almost three times the amount of money that the man had swindled from you. The room you were staying in had two beds. It was a bit dingy, but you didn’t expect too much from an inn located in a small village. 

You sat on one of the beds and pulled Chanyeol down to sit next to you.   
“Let’s get this wound attended to.” You reach for his shirt and lift it. He quickly replaces your hands with his own. You look up at him and he wears a sheepish grin.  
“I can hold it up, you just do the work.” He says, his voice shaking ever so slightly. You don’t pay his actions much mind. Instead you take the book from your bag and start to mix the ingredients together in order to form the cream. 

Baekhyun makes himself comfortable on the vacant space next to you on the bed and watches you closely.   
“Do you want me to do this instead?” He asks, leaning closer.   
“No I’ll do it.” You brush him off and gather some of the paste on your fingers.   
“I don’t trust him to touch me.” Says Chanyeol. Baekhyun sends a glare to him and scowls a bit.   
“I don’t trust you around her.” He retorts.   
“I don’t trust either of you to behave. Now shut up.” You say sternly and move to apply the cream on the angry wounds decorating Chanyeol’s abdomen. 

The wolf winces a bit from the sensation. You rub the cream in and well, like magic, the wounds start to heal up almost immediately.   
“Wow. I’ve never seen something like this before.” You awe at the sight of the healing.   
“They’re just abs... I have some too.” You can hear Jongin say from the other bed, he too lifts his shirt to peek at his own stomach. You feel your cheeks flush slightly.  
“That’s not what I meant, dumbass!” You pull your hands away from Chanyeol and pout at Jongin. He looks up at you.  
“What else would you be talking about?” He tilts his head. 

Chanyeol let’s his shirt fall back down.   
“Let’s just get some rest.” He says and stands up from the bed. “I can take a spot on the floor.” He offers.   
“No!” You protest immediately. The tall wolf-man seems a bit startled at your reaction. “I mean, sorry, you should sleep on one of the beds.” You recover. “You’re still healing, and should rest on a bed. I can sleep on the floor if necessary.”   
“He’ll be fine let him sleep on the floor.” Baekhyun says. “You should get one of the beds.” He pets your head slightly. The sensation was a bit off putting as you’d never experienced it before, but it wasn’t exactly unwelcome.  
“Then...Chanyeol can have the other bed and you and Jongin sleep on the ground.” You suggest.   
“Hey wait a second-“  
“You don’t want to share with me?” Baekhyun cuts off Jongin. He gives you a slight pout and a flutter of his lashes.   
“What do you even mean? We can’t share.” You reply to him.

“We always sleep together.” He says it so blatantly, that it makes your cheeks flare up.   
“That’s when you- that’s when you were a cat!” You find yourself stuttering at his sudden words.   
“I slept with you last night didn’t I?” He tilts his head a bit innocently and he moves his body closer to yours.   
“Don’t say it like that! You were guilt tripping me last night.” You cross your arms to put some semblance of separation between the two of you.  
“Just share the bed with him, he isn’t going to shut up.” Jongin gives a small whine. “I’ll just make myself comfortable on the floor, all alone.” You look over to see that Jongin had pulled out his sleeping roll and was setting it up on the ground. 

Truthfully, you didn’t want anyone to sleep on the ground while you took one of the beds.   
“Jongin...” you frown a bit as he continues to set up his roll.  
“It’s fine, don’t worry.” He brushes your concerns off, albeit a bit dramatically.   
“I’ll sleep on the ground, you and Kyoong can share the bed.” You decide. You stand up and move to go get your own bedroll.   
“If you sleep on the ground I’ll sleep with you!” Baekhyun says and he too stands up. You take out your bedroll and start setting it up as Jongin packs his back up. You could’ve sworn you saw Jongin do some semblance of a victory pose. 

“You won’t let me sleep alone, will you?” You ask Baekhyun.  
“Nope.” Baekhyun bends over to help you set up the bedroll and he even grabs extra blankets. Jongin has found his home on the first bed, while Chanyeol makes himself comfortable on the other bed. 

After a few moments of setting up the sleeping roll, you climb under the blankets and get comfortable. Baekhyun follows suit, wasting no time in huddling up next to you under the blankets. You just turn on your side away from him. 

Jongin blows out the candle light and you feel Baekhyun inch closer to you, he wraps one arm around your frame and as much as you want to push him away, there’s always something comforting about the presence of your familiar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lord only knows when the next update will be, but I’ll try to get it out quick. I have so much planned for the future, I just really need to get out these filler chapters hehe.


End file.
